On Stranger Tides Breaks International Record

[Captain Del]

I just recently saw this story on the news, and thought you all might be interested:

Originally Posted by The Hollywood Reporter

Fueled by foreign moviegoers, Disney’s 3D Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides opened to $346.4 million at the worldwide box office to grab the fourth-best global bow of all time, as well as the biggest international opening ever.

On Stranger Tides grossed a massive $256.3 million overseas, nearly three times the $90.1 million earned in North America.

Disney had hoped for a $100 million opening at the domestic box office but took solace in the fact that On Stranger Tides still scored the top debut of the year (Universal’s Fast Five was the previous crown-holder with $86.2 million). Tracking had always suggested that the movie would open in the $80 million to $100 million range domestically.

Thanks to the 3D tentpole, domestic box-office revenue was up 12 percent from a year ago.

On Stranger Tides was an expensive proposition for Disney, costing $250 million to produce before a hefty marketing spend.

The movie’s stellar opening overseas reinforces the glowing clout of the international box office, where On Stranger Tides came in ahead of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ($236 million), Spider-Man 3 ($230.5 million) and the previous Pirates film, At World’s End ($216 million).

Those three movies all opened north of $100 million domestically, so in terms of global grosses, they still pace ahead of On Stranger Tides in terms of best overall opening. Half-Blood Prince opened to $393 million, Spider-Man 3 with $381 million and At World’s End to $357 million.

In North America, At World's End debuted to $114.7 million in May 2007, well more than the $90.1 million grossed by On Stranger Tides.